How to convert Apple Dashboard widget to Vista gadgets?

[hitman38]

Hi everyone

I was just wondering if any knows how to how to convert Apple Dashboard widget to Vista gadgets?

I cant find any info on this. The widget I am trying to convert is attached below

Movies.wdgt.zip

[Headrush69]

Edit: Changed wrong choice of words.

 

I was trying to say that any gadget using class functions from the SDK might not necessarily convert.

So the complexity would depend on the widget.

[robotskip]

It should be pretty easy as it's easy as hell to change a Dashboard one to something on Konfabulator, for example. All you have to do is quickly learn how to package, etc the Vista gadgets and than copy the main code/images from the Apple one.

 

I haven't messed with any type of gadget/widget for awhile but when I was making some making them work on multiple platforms/apps was pretty easy.

 

Headrush69, I'd like to hear these many reasons why you think it's impossible, thanks.

[Headrush69]

Well I was under the belief that Dashboard widgets are more or less HTML based pages, while Vista Gadgets are Javascript based and use a Windows specific SDK also.

 

Any gadgets using the SDK would have to be ported to appropriate functions provided by Apple's webkit.

 

I'm not expert, robotskip may know better.

[robotskip]

For Konfabulator, Dashboard, Sidebar and some others they're all essentially the same thing:

 

- Put into a 'package' of some sort, usually just zipped or rarred and than have had the extension renamed

- An XML file with details like the name, version, etc

- A HTML file which is actually the gadget/widget

 

So..

 

- That's all you really need to make one for any of the 3 I listed

- Extras like an icon, scripts (As in, Javascript), CSS, etc are optional

- There is no Windows SDK and there should be no real problems with WebKit but you may have to make a couple of changes to the actual code

 

I have no idea why you were under those beliefs but they're kind of crazy.

 

Here is an overview from Microsoft:

GADGET FILES

A gadget contains the following files:

 

Gadget Manifest - An XML file defining the gadget properties, including name, icon and description

HTML file - Defines the core code for the gadget

HTML settings file - Exposes gadget settings for the user to change

Images, Script and Style Sheets - For use in the HTML

Icon - For use in the gadget picker

Here's 2 links for creating gadgets for the Sidebar:

 

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcen...adgets-pt1.mspx

http://microsoftgadgets.com/Sidebar/DevelopmentOverview.aspx

 

So, I would get the .wdgt, extract it and than follow one of those 2 guides, or another, and re-create the widget as a gadget and depending upon your knowledge/skill it shouldn't be that hard at all. Well, it depends upon the widget, in theory converting a widget/gadget is easy but it depends upon said widget/gadget, they might rely on something which is Windows/Mac OS only and you might have to re-code a decent amount.

[Headrush69]

I have no idea why you were under those beliefs but they're kind of crazy. :P

Lack of sleep and reading too many posts makes you go crazy.

 

I briefly looked at the LiveSDK @ http://microsoftgadgets.com/livesdk/docs/apiref.htm but after closer inspection there nothing really platform specific or that would be an issue.

Who would have guessed Microsoft used standard Javascript, css, etc for something for once, that's not like them.

[hitman38]

I've tried to convert it but it requires some object from the Mac OSX operating system to run.